Angels play an important role in Sacred Scripture as messengers of God. The belief that each person has a guardian angel watching over him or her is an extension of that role, and a reminder of God’s never-failing providence.
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More than just a name in a Christmas carol, Wenceslaus managed to rule with a clear vision of what a Christian leader should be. Many opposed him during his reign, and his brother eventually betrayed and killed him, but he continued to hold the faith and is hailed today as an outstanding king in Eastern Europe.
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John Henry Newman, the 19th-century’s most important English-speaking Catholic theologian, spent the first half of his life as an Anglican and the second half as a Roman Catholic. He was a priest, popular preacher, writer, and eminent theologian in both churches.
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Frustrated in their attempts to enter religious life, Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin married and had nine children. Their youngest child, who entered a Carmelite convent at 15, became Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, affectionately known as the Little Flower.
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A conversation with Patrick Hastings: writer, educator, bibliophile, and the new Education Outreach Specialist in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
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Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the first canonized Filipino martyr, became a witness to the faith almost by accident. Fleeing a legal charge, he ended up with a group of Dominicans headed for Japan, where they were all arrested, tortured, and finally executed.
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This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus: both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on justice.
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Saint Cyprian played an important role in the development of Christian thought and practice in the early Church. He was a noted speaker who became a Christian as an adult. He was ordained a priest within two years of his conversion, and was then chosen to be bishop of Carthage.
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Affirming the humanity of Jesus, the Church celebrates the birth of Mary, his mother. While Scripture does not record the birth of Mary, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James notes the development of Christian piety around Mary’s parents and her birth.
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Claudio was the youngest of nine children whose father died when the boy was only nine years old. At the age of 15 he entered the army where he served for three years. Eventually Claudio joined the Franciscans, and was known for his artistic abilities.
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Saint Joseph Calasanz dedicated his life to poor children. He gathered teachers to help him, and eventually organized the Clerks Regular of Religious Schools–also known as the Piarists or Scolopi. But his work was not without opposition, as some objected to the education of the poor.
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The notion of a queen is somewhat foreign to American ears, but this feast of Mary recognizes her role in the Kingdom of her Son, Jesus.
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Devotion to Saint Lawrence dates back to the earliest days of the Church. While we do not know many facts about him, his courageous witness to the faith is well known, as well as some interesting legends which may or may not be true. They show a fascination with Saint Lawrence and his testimony to the faith.
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Whatever happened on Mount Tabor within the hearts of Peter, James and John, we will never know. The experience was more than words can describe. But certainly, the three Apostles had an experience of the glory of Jesus, the Son of God.
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Saint Mary Major is one of the four major churches in Rome known as patriarchal basilicas. It is the largest church in the world honoring Mary. This day is also known as the feast of Our Lady of the Snows because of the Blessed Mother’s intercession during a crisis in that city.
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Saint Francis Solano asked to be sent to Africa as a missionary. Instead he was sent to South America, where he spent the rest of his life. After years of ministry in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, he died in the city of Lima, Peru.
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A Capuchin Poor Clare nun, Saint Veronica Giuliani received the unique gift of the stigmata of Christ. Few people have been blessed with these marks; Saint Francis of Assisi was probably the most notable among them.
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Saint John Fisher’s name is usually associated with Saint Thomas More and their difficulty with King Henry VIII. A bishop and cardinal, John Fisher refused to agree with Henry’s divorce and remarriage, as well as the idea that the king, rather than the pope, was the head of the Church in England. He was imprisoned and eventually martyred.
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Saint Paulinus was a married priest and bishop. In his day, marriage was not an impediment to the priesthood. Though married for many years, Saint Paulinus and his wife were childless. When they finally were blessed with a son, he lived but a few weeks.
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At a time when rigorist ideas were rampant in the seminaries of Italy, Saint Joseph Cafasso proved to be a moderate, leading the students to the best of Catholic thought without going to extremes. He also encouraged them to join the Secular Franciscans and develop a love for the Eucharist.
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Saint Albert Chmielowski was a talented painter and a Secular Franciscan. In mid-life, he founded the Brothers of the Third Order of Saint Francis, Servants to the Poor, who worked with the poor and homeless. Known also as the Albertine Brothers, this community was renowned for depending completely on alms.
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Saint Joachima was a wife, mother, widow, and founder of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity. Used to taking care of others, she experienced total dependency on others toward the end of her life.
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Blessed Angeline of Marsciano founded the first Third Order community of women in the Franciscan family; something new in her day. While briefly married, Blessed Angeline did not set aside the vow of perpetual chastity she’d made as a child. She spent her life caring for the sick and the poor.
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We know very little about these two martyrs, but Saints Marcellinus and Peter are mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Roman liturgy. They made the ultimate sacrifice for the faith and are remembered by the faithful for that reason.
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Today’s feast is about both two women and two men. The Blessed Virgin Mary goes to visit Elizabeth to assist her in her final days of pregnancy. But as she greets Elizabeth, the babe in Elizabeth’s womb—John the Baptist—leaps for joy at the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb. Great mysteries of life are at play here.
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Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat lived in France during the French Revolution. Concerned about the education of children, especially girls, and feeling a call to the religious life, she founded the Society of the Sacred Heart. The sisters worked for the education of the poor and ran boarding schools for the well-to-do.
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For many years after his student days, Saint Philip Neri lived as a layman engaged in prayer and apostolic works in Rome. During this time, he attracted many to join him—poor and rich. After ordination, he became a noted confessor and eventually founded the Oratory, a religious institute, with some of his followers.
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Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi is known as the “ecstatic saint” because of her unusual gifts from God. To safeguard the authenticity of her visions, her confessor had her dictate them to fellow sisters. The result was five volumes encompassing ecstasies, letters, and inspirational sayings. But her life was not all sweetness; she also battled with temptations.
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Saint Gregory VII, originally known as Hildebrand, was a reformer before and during his papacy. He struggled to gain the Church’s freedom from undue civil influence and paid a price for his efforts. Gregory VII died in exile in 1085. Thirty years after his death, the Church won its struggle.
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The title of this stained glass window translates as “Example for Married People”. Located in Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Nesselwängle, Austria), it depicts two saints who were a married couple, Maria Torribia and Isidore the Farmer. Today is their feast day.
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Saint Leopold Mandic, a Capuchin Franciscan, was well known as a good confessor and spiritual director. His one aim in life was to work for the reunification of the Orthodox church with Rome: a goal he prayed for but was unable to achieve due in part to poor health.
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Have you ever felt like running away from your job? Saint Peter of Tarentaise “disappeared” from his diocese to an abbey where he quietly prayed for about a year. Called back to ministry, Peter performed his duties to his diocese well, focusing his energies on the poor.
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Saints Philip and James share a feast day because their relics were brought to Rome together in early May. We know nothing more about either saint than what is found in the Scriptures. There we are told that they were apostles, and tradition has it that they were both martyred.
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A diocesan priest with a great devotion to Mary, Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort attracted many people to the faith by his preaching. He lived a life of notable poverty and simplicity.
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Saint Pedro de San José Betancur was a Secular Franciscan who founded a hospital, a shelter, and a school for the poor in Guatemala City. He also founded a religious congregation for men.
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